A Story From the Best Friends You’ve Never Met

Successful brands like Starbucks have made their fortune offering a consistent experience for everyone – every visit is the same, no matter who you are. But my hunch is that if you’re an avid traveler, having the same experience as everyone else is not what you’re all about. If your blog is about what you can’t find in a guidebook, then Hostelling International USA (HI USA) has you covered. Because you never know who you might meet. And it’s the people you meet who make the best stories.

HI USA is the only North American hostel collection to be awarded a coveted Hoscar by HostelWorld in 2014, and we have raised the bar on what it means to be a hostel. Yes, HI USA hostels offer affordable accommodations – but they offer much more than that. HI USA hostels are a community of kindred spirits from every corner of the globe. And here’s why you should consider staying with HI USA:

You’ll get the inside scoop. With rooms, common spaces, and activities designed to encourage conversation, HI USA hostels make it easy to learn from fellow hostellers about the best day ever or how to avoid that wrong turn everyone else makes. Wherever you’re staying, someone else has tips to share, and as a fellow hosteller, you’re privy to know their insider knowledge.

You’ll learn something new. Guests from more than 100 countries pass through HI USA hostels each year, so you’ll meet people from all walks of life. As you chat about life back home and what to do on a Tuesday night, you’re bound to learn something you didn’t know before about another country, language, or way of life.

You’ll have a richer story to tell your readers. Set apart your blog post about New York, Boston, or Los Angeles by writing about the adventure you had wandering through side streets with your group of Brazilian college students, Australian gap year adventurers, and Romanian vacationers, who you met at breakfast in the dining room. It’s a unique experience that your audience can’t read about anywhere else.

You’ll have a fun group of friends waiting for you. Once you’ve seen the sights and written your post, come back to the hostel and strike up a conversation with someone in the lounge. You’ll meet plenty of other solo travelers in search of a friend-for-the-day as well.

You’ll feel at home. When you’re tired of eating out and going out, return to the hostel to make your own home cooked meal, relax in the lounge, or play a board game with a stranger-turned-friend who is on the same wave length. HI USA staff are experts in local fun, whether you’re in for the night or out on the town.

If you’ve never hostelled before, check out one of HI USA’s more than 50 hostels from Maine to California, run by area residents passionate about helping you discover the cool, the underground, the random, and the profoundly awesome “real” side of your destination. As you journey, you’ll find a hot tub on the cliffs of the Pacific Ocean, the largest private outdoor space in New York City, and the only LEED certified accommodation in Boston. You’ll also meet our enthusiastic local staff who make recommendations based on personal favorites.

When you put this all together, your overnight stay becomes part of your experience – and part of the story you share with your readers. And you might just have a the most blog-worthy experience sitting on the floor of your dorm room chatting with three people you just met and will never see again, but will be hard-pressed to forget.

Author Bio: HI USA is a nonprofit, member organization founded on an enduring belief in the power of travel to foster a deeper understanding of people, places, and the world around. It’s our mission to promote a dynamic community of global citizens who have the wisdom and humanity to actively make the world a better place. As the nation’s leading hostel brand, HI-USA hosts more than 1 million overnights annually, with guests from more than 100 countries. For over 80 years, HI-USA has provided a network of affordable hostels in converted mansions, reinvented lighthouses, and historic urban buildings all across the country. Visit www.hiusa.org for more information.